Drug Screenings

The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) recommends that all U.S. pharmacy schools procure a drug screening on you upon your initial, conditional acceptance to pharmacy school. The rationale for performing drug screenings on accepted pharmacy school applicants is based on a number of issues, including 1) the need to enhance the safety and well-being of patients and, in so doing, to bolster the public's continuing trust in the pharmacy profession, and 2) to ascertain the ability of accepted applicants to complete their pharmacy education and eventually become licensed pharmacists.

In support of this recommendation, AACP has initiated a PharmCAS-facilitated drug screening service, through which Certiphi Screening, Inc. (a Vertical Screen® Company) will procure a drug screening report on applicants at the point of acceptance. AACP has initiated this new service in order to recognize the desire of pharmacy schools to procure appropriate drug screen reports, and to prevent applicants from paying additional fees at each pharmacy school to which they are accepted.

Drug Screening Description

Certiphi uses urine screening methodologies utilizing both laboratory and instant testing technologies. Tests will be performed through Certiphi’s vast pool of more than 8,000 collection sites located throughout the United States and Canada.

Once a participating school has offered you admission, Certiphi Screening will send you an e-mail with instructions for completing the drug screen. The e-mail will include a toll-free telephone number to contact with any questions regarding the process. Individual pharmacy schools may require you to submit to additional drug screenings following the initial screen.

Once a drug screen has been completed, Certiphi will provide the report to the student applicant as well as all pharmacy schools offering acceptance.

Drug Screening Process

The drug screening service works as follows:

Upon a student's initial, conditional acceptance by a participating pharmacy school, Certiphi Screening, Inc. will send an e-mail to the preferred e-mail address the student entered in their PharmCAS application. This e-mail will provide you with access to a secure, online form via which the student will provide basic identifying information, consent for this report to be procured, and payment. The student's consent will serve for all pharmacy schools, and they will not be asked to provide consent upon receiving additional, conditional acceptance offers by participating pharmacy schools.

Once the student has provided payment, Certiphi Screening, Inc. will provide additional instructions on available drug screening collection facilities to be used for specimen collection. Upon report completion Certiphi Screening, Inc. will send an e-mail to the student's preferred e-mail address notifying them that their drug screening report is complete. A copy of the report will also be provided immediately to the pharmacy school(s).

Additional Notes:

The report procured during this process will not be released to any party other than the pharmacy schools requesting this report.

Upon testing by the laboratory, if the specimen is found to be positive for one or more of the drugs tested, you will receive a telephone call from Medical Review Officer (MRO) at Certiphi Screening, Inc. The MRO will consult with you and your physician to obtain proof as to why the drug/medication was in your specimen. If the student does not return the call to the MRO within three business days, the report will be delivered as a “positive” drug screen.